Spiritwing
by Koneko Mikagami
Summary: TAKES PLACE AFTER FIREWING: A polt to raise Zotz has been discovered and only the Council of Spiritwings can decide weather or not to take action... Features SpiritShade, Marina, Griffin, Luna, Freida, Java, Nemo, Yorick, Goth and Phoenix. ON HIATUS D:
1. Chapter 1: Shade's Flight

Hi everyone! The Mist of a Flame is back, and here is my continuation of Kenneth Oppel's fantastic Silverwing Saga. This takes place after the events of Firewing, and tells of Goth and Phoenix's attempts to raise Zotz! Well, here it is! Enjoy! (Why do I keep putting exclamation marks at the ends of my sentences?!)

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**Key:**

"Speech" _Spirits talking "spirits talking through people" _'thoughts'

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**Spiritwing: Chapter one - Shade's Flight**

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For what seemed like the millionth time, the spirit of Shade Silverwing swooped down into the body of his former mate, Marina Brightwing. Their son, Griffin, hung on a lower branch, chatting excitedly to his friend, Luna.

_Marina._

Marina gasped as Shade's voice tumbled into her mind. 'Shade' she thought, willing her words into his spirit. 'What is it? What's wrong?'

_Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to see how you were doing. So?_

'I'm fine. So is Griffin, but he's missed you since... what happened. How are the Pilgrims?'

_Oh, they're just fine. Yorick's always saying how good it is that he can't feel his wing anymore. Well, what can he expect? He doesn't have wings anymore! Nemo says he misses fishing, even though he can't ever be hungry. He says he just wants one more taste of salmon, and then he'll be happy. Java's just great, she met some others from her colony, and they've gone to meet some others at their Hibernaculum. And Murk..._

'Yes? What about Murk?'

_Murk went back to the pyramid. He says Goth has started recruiting. As in, he's spreading the word of Zotz to some other Vampyrum he met there. You know, after he took Griff's life. And he said Zotz must have stumbled across some other life in the Underworld, because Phoenix has risen now as well. Together, they are planning to bring Zotz back to full power with a hundred sacrifices in the space of an eclipse._

Marina gasped involuntarily.

"Mom? What's up?"Griffin looked up at his mother. Luna stared up concernedly as well. "Are you..." his voice fell to a whisper. "Are you talking to Dad again?"

_Griffin, I'm here. How are you?_

"Dad!" Griffin forced back the urge to shout his words, only to whisper them into the breeze. 'Dad! How are you?'

'Hello again, Mr. Griffin's dad.' Luna added.

_Please, Luna, call me Shade. Griffin, you've grown so much since I last saw you! How's my life treating you?_

Griffin felt a slight twinge of guilt at his father's remark. Down in the Underworld, Shade had sacrificed himself to make sure Griffin and Luna made it back home, and gave his life to the pair. Griffin could almost feel his fur spiking up with embarrassment, but Luna giggled slightly. Of course, she could tell that Shade was joking, but Griffin was simply too self-concious to see this.

_Griffin... I thought we'd already gone over this. There is no need for you to feel embarrassed. I gave you my life willingly so that you could grow up and be who you want to be. It's not as though I'm gone; look at me now! I'm whoever and wherever I want. I'm a Spiritwing now; and there are millions of us, all together like the biggest colony in the world. I'm never lonely. And remember that; when bats die, they don't just leave, they stay with you forever._

'But... Dad, some bats don't stay. They go down to the Oases and refuse to believe in the Tree. Remember? And they drive away anyone who dares tell them that they're dead. I don't want to be like that; I don't want to loose anone who's foolish enough to believe them.'

_Some bats just can't be swayed, Griffin, I'm afraid. Some bats just sit back and believe that swill Zotz feeds to them down there. And that makes me angry. But we can't do anything about that. Griffin, if you ever die, try to remember the Tree, and what it did for us. Try to remember Freida, if she's still there. Try to find her, and get the map, and come and join me up here. Together, Griffin, you and me could save the world. We _are _the world, and we can easily save ourselves..._

With that, Shade's voice drifted away, and Griffin immidiately felt a part of him drift with it.

"Don't worry, Griffin. Your father will be back soon." Marina said, but there were tears in her eyes. And Griffin knew that a part of her had left too.


	2. Chapter 2: The Power of the Spiritwings

**Argh! I know this might be a pain to read because you don't rally know who's saying what on some bits, but here it is! A chapter where the Spiritwing Pilgrims hold a meeting to decide what to do about King Goth! Enjoy!**_

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_**Chapter Two: The Power of the Spiritwings

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** _Murk, are you here?_

_Shade, you know that I am always here._

_Good. Have you any more news from the pyramid?_

_Yes. Goth and Phoenix have started regular sacrifices. They kill all they can find. I managed to speak through a rat to King Romulus. He told me that already over a hundred of their kind have been killed in the south. The owls are in just as much trouble, with at least fifty of them gone. Even the little hummingbirds have lost many of their kind. _

_I see... this could be very bad._

_You think?_

_Java! I thought you had gone to meet some more Foxwing Spiritwings!_

_I did, and then I returned, just in time to hear of our Vampyrum friend's trouble._

_Hey, it's not my trouble, I'm already dead, but Shade's old colony... King Goth has a particular hatred for the Silverwings._

_This is your fault, Shade, m'boy. If you hadn't gotten on his bad side-_

_Yorick! Stop being so grouchy! You've no need to, now you have no wings to feel pain through!_

_Java, Java, Java, some day you'll learn that YOU DON'T NEED AN EXCUSE TO BE GROUCHY!_

_Yorick! Shut up!_

_What were you saying, Murk? Please, continue._

_Thank you, Shade. Yes, I believe Goth is planning something. I think he's preparing for the next eclipse, so that Zotz may rise again._

_If only there was some way to go back to the underworld and tell everyone that they needn't mope about, that the Tree could take them back to the lives the once had._

_Not completely, mind._

_I know, Yorick. But still, I can be with my mate and son, and I can speak to my parents and brother, Chinook._

_Hey, why do you think Nemo's not here?_

_Seriously, Java? He's trying to find a way back down there?_

_Yes, he has a theory that if he enters a bat's body just as they're about to die, he'll be dragged down with them._

_That's a good theory, but it's a different reality._

_That... doesn't make any sense, Yorick._

_Trust me, Shade, it does if you're me._

_But I'm not you._

_But if you were, you'd understand._

_But-_

_STOP!_

_Let's get back on track. We have to stop Goth. Again. I'm really getting sick of that bat. When I was alive, he wouldn't leave me alone, and now I'm dead, and he won't leave me alone! Where's the fairness in that?_

_Sometimes life isn't fair, Shade. And death's not too peachy either. Hey, I fancy a peach right now... Mmm... peaches..._

_JAVA! Stop fantasizing about fruit! I have to go back to my colony. I have to tell Marina about Goth. With our help, I'm sure they can do anything._

_What do you mean, Shade?_

_I mean, with every bat that returns as a Spiritwing, our power grows. Eventually, we'll have enough power to do some of the thing we could do when we were alive. Like, we don't need to eat, but I bet one day we'll be able to taste our favourite foods again-_

_Nemo'll like that._

_And I bet I'll be able to use sound again. I could use sound to take on Zotz again. I could destroy his fantasy land down under and show those poor dead souls the truth - the Tree. And then our power'll be even stronger. I bet... one day, we could make anything possible._

_For ourselves, and for every creature, alive or dead._

_That is the power of the Spiritwings._


	3. Chapter 3: Aftermath of a Deadly Storm

**Hey all! I'm back, and here's chapter three of Spiritwing... I know it's quite short, but trust me, it's the tip of the iceburg... Enjoy:)**_

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_**Chapter Three: Aftermath of a Deadly Storm**_

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Marina! Marina, where are you?_Shade circled Tree Haven, within every wall and over every surace. Where was Marina? Finally, he spotted a familiar face; It was Griffin. Shade swooped nearer before he noticed that his son was crying.

_Griffin! I can't find your mother anywhere. What's happening?__Dad... _Griffin seemed to falter, struggling to put his thoughts into words.

_There was... a storm last night._

_I know. I just... oh, no. Please, Griff, don't say it. Marina's alright, isn't she?_Without a word, Griffin's eyes trailied over to the infirmary.

If he had had a voice, Shade would have cried out. If he had had wings, they would be flaring and fluttering in a panic. If he had had eyes, they would be streaming with tears.

_Marina!_ He tried to call out to her, but her mind could not respond. Pain seemed to be streaming through it, reaching out to him. _No! Please, not Marina!_

Shade struggled to compose himself enough to drift into the infirmary. There, his fears were realised. Marina lay on the bark floor, coated in potions and remedies. He carefully listened in to a conversation between Bathsheba and Ariel, his mother.

"I heard she got caught in the storm last night."

"That doesn't make sense. After how she left her colony, I wouldn't think Marina would ever risk a storm again. I know she's scared of them."

"Oh no, it was that the storm came to her. She was roosting and a lump of debris came flying through the wall of Tree Haven. The wind must have been blowing pretty strong to have smashed through the wall. But it hit her in the wing. I'm surprised it didn't rip her wing right off!"

"Yes.I'm pretty sure her wing is broken. We could fix that, but the amount of blood she's lost... and she's still losing it. To tell the truth, I don't think she'll..." Ariel burst into tears. Shade felt like crying too.

_Marina, I'll never leave you again..._ Shade let himself float down into Marina's body and stayed there until her very last breath...


End file.
